A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains or may contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
The present invention relates in general to a gaming device, and more particularly to a gaming device that includes a central game and a plurality of dependent peripheral games, wherein the central and peripheral games are linked via do-until selection loops.
Known gaming devices provide an award associated with a masked selector. European Patent Application No. EP 0 945 837 A2 filed on Mar. 18, 1999 and assigned on its face to WMS Gaming, Inc. discloses a slot machine game, wherein the gaming device operates in a normal slot machine or basic mode by randomly selecting a basic game outcome from a plurality of basic game outcomes. If the game selects a start bonus outcome, the gaming device shifts from the normal slot machine or basic mode to a bonus mode.
In the bonus mode, which operates under player control, the player has one or more opportunities to pick masking selections. The masking selections mask awards and end-bonus outcomes. When the player picks a masking selector associated with an award, the game reveals the selection and provides the award to the player. When the player picks a masking selector associated with an end-bonus outcome, the bonus mode no longer enables the player to pick masking selections.
The select-until or do-until selection loop is exciting for the player because the player accrues awards until picking an end-bonus outcome. The do-until selection loop provides the player with the sense that the player controls their own destiny. The game of the European Patent Application No. EP 0 945 837 A2 is somewhat limited in that it provides and displays a single masked selection pool from which the player selects. A need therefore exists for a more enjoyable and entertaining do-until game having a plurality of selection pools.
The present invention includes a gaming device and a method for operating the gaming device. The gaming device of the present invention includes at least one central game and at least one and preferably a plurality of peripheral games. The central game includes at least one and preferably a plurality of masked central game outcomes. One of the central game outcomes and preferably a plurality of the central game outcomes are transfer outcomes or transfers. One of the peripheral games begins after the player picks a transfer outcome. The peripheral game includes at least one (preferably masked) peripheral game outcome. One of the peripheral game outcomes includes a return outcome or return. The game enables the player to return to the central game and pick at least one more masked central game outcome after the player picks a return in a peripheral game.
The central game preferably enables the player to pick a plurality of masked central game outcomes until the player picks a transfer to one of the peripheral games. In one embodiment of the present invention, each peripheral game enables the player to pick a plurality of masked peripheral game outcomes until the player picks a return.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a plurality of peripheral games and a different transfer for each peripheral game, whereby the player""s pick of a particular transfer determines which peripheral game the gaming device invokes. The present invention alternatively provides a plurality of peripheral games and one or more transfers, whereby the game randomly chooses a peripheral game after the player picks a transfer.
Both the central and the peripheral game outcomes include awards, such that the player may win awards while playing both the central and the peripheral games. The present invention includes structuring the awards such that either the central game or the peripheral games have higher average awards. The present invention includes either the central game outcomes, the peripheral game outcomes or both game outcomes including at least one game terminator. When the player picks a game terminator in either the central or one of the peripheral games, the game of the present invention ends.
In a preferred embodiment, the game either randomly associates, assigns or predetermines an outcome, i.e., an award, a transfer or a game terminator to each masking selector before the player picks masked outcomes from the central game. Likewise, the game either randomly associates, assigns or predetermines an outcome, i.e., an award, a return or a game terminator to each masking selector before the player picks masked outcomes from one of the peripheral games. The game alternatively randomly generates one of the central game outcomes upon the player""s pick of a central game selector. The game further alternatively randomly generates one of the peripheral game outcomes upon the player""s pick of a peripheral game selector.
In an alternative embodiment, the processor of the gaming device picks peripheral game outcomes as opposed to the player. In this alternative embodiment, the present invention includes: (i) a central game in which a player picks at least one masked central game outcome, including a transfer; (ii) at least one peripheral game that begins after the player""s pick of the transfer, wherein the game""s processor picks at least one masked peripheral game outcome, including a return; and (iii) whereby the game enables the player to return to the central game and pick at least one more masked central game outcome after the processor picks the return.
In the alternative embodiment, as above, the central game enables the player to pick a plurality of masked central game outcomes until the player picks the transfer. In the peripheral game, the processor picks a plurality of masked peripheral game outcomes until picking a return. The alternative embodiment also preferably includes a plurality of peripheral games and a different transfer for each peripheral game, whereby the player""s pick of a particular transfer determines which peripheral game the game invokes. The alternative embodiment alternatively includes the game randomly choosing a peripheral game after the player picks a peripheral game outcome.
One preferred method for operating the above described gaming device includes the steps of: (i) enabling a player to pick at least one masked central game outcome in a central game; (ii) after the player picks a transfer, enabling at least one pick of a peripheral game outcome in a peripheral game; and (iii) after picking a return, enabling the player to again pick at least one masked central game outcome from said central game. The method includes repeating the steps (i) through (iii) a plurality of times and preferably includes repeating the steps until a game terminator is picked.
The method preferably enables the player to pick from the central game until the player picks a transfer. The method also preferably enables the player to pick from the peripheral game until the player picks a return. The method alternatively enables the game""s processor to pick from the peripheral game until the processor picks a return.
It is therefore an advantage of the present invention that the gaming apparatus and associated method include a central game and a plurality of dependent peripheral games.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the central and peripheral games are linked via do-until selection loops.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, taken in conjunction with the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein like numerals refer to like parts, elements, components, steps and processes.